Canada Digital Adoption Program
CDAP - Canada Digital Adoption Program GRANT
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About the Grant
The Canadian Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) is a federal initiative designed to support businesses in their digital transformation. Participating companies collaborate with registered digital advisors to evaluate their current operations and develop a comprehensive Digital Adoption Plan. Following this assessment, the CDAP program offers optional financial assistance to help businesses enhance their digital capabilities.
Eligibility Criteria for CDAP
To be eligible for the CDAP grant, businesses must fulfill the following criteria: Demonstrated gross revenue exceeding $500,000 in at least one of the last three fiscal years. The qualifying business must be an incorporated, privately held for-profit entity within Canada and have at least one T4 Employee on its payroll. Businesses that meet these requirements are generally considered eligible for the CDAP program.
How the CDAP Program Works
If your company qualifies, you can receive a grant of $15,000 to create a digital adoption strategy. Your company will have access to a dedicated digital advisor to assist you throughout the process.
Upon completion of the plan, you may apply for a wage subsidy and an optional zero-interest loan between $25,000 and $100,000 from BDC, with no out of pocket expenses.
Welcome to the Digital Age!
Federal Funding Initiative
The Canadian government is actively encouraging businesses to embrace digital transformation. As part of this initiative, financial assistance is available. This support is aimed at a variety of digital upgrades, from advanced customer relationship management systems to AI-enhanced customer support.
Digital Upgrades Offered
Whether your business needs a sophisticated inventory system, a revamped website, or cutting-edge AI customer support, our program is designed toe-commerce meet these needs. We focus on providing the necessary tools and technologies to modernize and enhance your business .
Simple Application Process
Applying for the Canadian Digital Adoption Program (CDAP) is a quick and easy process, requiring only 30 minutes to complete online. To make it even more convenient, we offer personalized assistance. We can guide you through the entire application process, ensuring a smooth and hassle-free experience.
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Frequently asked questions
I want to know more about registering for the Canada Digital Adoption Plan (CDAP)
Stream 1: Grow Your Business Online
BDC is not involved in this stream.
Grow Your Business Online helps small, consumer-facing businesses with yearly revenues under $500k to take advantage of e-commerce opportunities. It provides advisory services as well as micro-grants of up to $2,400 to help with the costs related to adopting digital technologies.
Stream 2: Boost Your Business Technology
BDC is involved in this stream.
Boost Your Business Technology helps small and medium sized businesses that require more advanced technology. These businesses will be able to access a grant from Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) to cover up to 90% of the cost of advisory services to develop a digital adoption plan, to a maximum grant value of $15,000. The business will then have the opportunity to apply for a zero-interest loan from BDC of up to $100,000 per business with a maximum of $200,000 per borrowing group 3, to implement the technology.
Please note that although the loan request is being made under CDAP, applicants must meet CDAP eligibility criteria and BDC credit worthiness requirements to receive a loan offer.
For more information, visit ISED’s website
No, the zero-interest loan is only for businesses that are eligible under Stream 2: Boost Your Business Technology.
Yes, you may submit applications to CDAP for multiple businesses. Each business will need to operate separately from the other(s) and have its own digital adoption plan.
While you may apply for multiple businesses, note that you are limited to a maximum loan of $200,000 per borrowing group.
I want to know more about the digital adoption plan
Yes, BDC is one of the registered service providers on the Digital Advisors Marketplace. If your business is deemed eligible for the Boost Your Business Technology stream, you will have access to a curated list of service providers that are right for you on the Digital Advisors Marketplace. You can then select the service provider that meets your needs.
Please note that selecting BDC as an advisor will not affect your chances of qualifying for a zero-interest loan. All businesses are treated equally, whether they are existing BDC clients or not.
If you have a BDC Systems Selection plan or a digital adoption plan from BDC Advisory Services, or if you have another plan created by a digital adoption program recognised by ISED, you are invited to apply through the CDAP portal for the Boost Your Business Technology stream. During the application process, select the fast-track option and upload your plan. After it is approved, you will be referred to BDC to apply for the 0% loan.
To account for uncertainties and delays caused by the pandemic, existing plans of up to 24 months old are eligible for CDAP.
For the complete list of recognized programs, visit ISED’s website.
You will have 6 months from the time your Digital Adoption Plan is approved by ISED to complete your loan application with BDC. However, if you’ve completed a digital adoption plan through another recognized government program, a System Selection plan or another digital adoption plan from BDC Advisory Services you have 30 days to apply for the loan through the fast-track option.
If you exceed this timeframe, you will be ineligible for the loan.
I want to know more about the BDC zero-interest loan
Zero-interest loan of up to $100,000 with a 5-year term + 12 months capital postponement (total of 6 years). CDAP is a four-year program, so you can apply for the program until 2025.
The amount of the loan is determined by the size of your business. If your annual gross revenues as of the closing date of its last fiscal year-end are:
- between $500,000 and below $5M you can request a loan of between $25,000 and $50,000
- $5M and more, you can request a loan between $25,000 and $100,000
While you may apply for a loan for multiple businesses, note that you are limited to a maximum loan of $200,000 per borrowing group3.
The loan must be used solely for the implementation of a digital adoption plan that is recognized by the CDAP Boost Your Business Technology stream .
Please note that although the loan request is being made under CDAP, applicants must meet CDAP eligibility criteria and BDC credit worthiness requirements to receive a loan offer.
You can create your digital adoption plan, receive the grant that covers up to 90% of advisory services and then decide against the zero-interest loan. Participating in the digital plan portion of CDAP does not oblige you to apply for a loan. If you move forward to implement your plan, you can also source the required funds from your own cashflow or from your regular financial institutions.
The first step before applying for the loan is to have a digital adoption plan that is recognized by the CDAP Boost Your Business Technology stream. If you already have a digital adoption plan that was developed through a recognized government digital adoption program, you may be eligible to proceed directly to a loan application without developing a new plan.
Once your digital adoption plan has been reviewed and approved by CDAP login to the CDAP portal to gain direct access to BDC’s 0% financing form.
Please note that although the loan request is being made under CDAP, applicants must meet CDAP eligibility criteria and BDC credit worthiness requirements in order to receive a loan offer.
No. The loan under this program must be used to implement your digital adoption plan. You must be willing to attest to the use of the funds. Please understand that CDAP can audit you on this point.
The program eligibility is only one step in the process of making the loan request.
Your business may be declined for multiple reasons. For example, it may not have met BDC’s credit worthiness criteria (ex: credit history, etc.).
Please note that although the loan request is being made under CDAP, applicants must meet CDAP eligibility criteria and BDC credit worthiness requirements to receive a loan offer.
Also, as the CDAP zero-interest loan is part of a standard loan application, standard banking practices apply. A declined loan request is reflected in your credit score. This is part of the consent you provide when applying for the loan.
